"We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day."
~Edith Lovejoy Pierce
Every year, I debate whether or not to make "resolutions". As much as I hate them, I just can't help but feel like the new year is my chance at a clean slate. As 2010 comes to a close, I have spent a lot of time beating myself up over my failures of the year. I haven't lost any weight, in fact I've probably gained. I haven't been doing much running at all. I've probably ran the least miles I have ever run in a year.
On the other hand, I have made a lot of changes this year, and some accomplishments. I may not have run many miles overall, but I ran
5 Half Marathons,
1 Full Marathon,
1 8-man/80-mile relay,
and various races of shorter distances.
I also moved myself and my 2 kids 300+ miles from the area we've lived for the past 15+ years (and 300 miles away from all the help from my parents). I've started in a new position at work where I travel about 50% of the time (which I love, by the way, the job and the travel).
So, what does 2011 hold for me? Well, clearly, I get to start a fresh new chapter. I can't wait for that.
I'm not going to set any arbitrary goals for myself (although I have already committed to at least 2 marathons for the year and various other races).
Instead of saying I will lose xx pounds or run yyyy miles, I'm going to take it as it comes. Of course, it's crazy to say that I don't have some hope in mind for what I think I want to accomplish. I'm going to make it my #1 new year's resolution to forgive myself if I don't meet all my expectations.
I also have some goals in mind for work and for my personal life. I can pretty much boil it down to this: Focus. I have so many things that need to get accomplished, that it's impossible to think I can get it all done when I would like for it to get done, at work and at home. My second resolution is to focus on the task at hand and cross things off my to-do list one at a time without getting overwhelmed.
That's it. I feel good about giving myself a break. Hopefully, I'll follow through with it and have a more positive outlook in 2011 than I've had in 2010.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
Training Plan, Weeks 1 and 2
So, here we are, Day 2 of marathon training for St Louis.
I purposely scheduled no running yesterday. The way I had it planned, I would have 0 runs on days I have to be in the office for the first 2 weeks of my plan. This way, I can be miserable in peace while I try to get back some level of fitness.
Week 1, 12/20-12/26
Tuesday, 12/21: 6 miles (work from home)
Thursday, 12/23: 5 miles, include 3 miles tempo run (vacation day)
Sunday, 12/26: 10 miles
Week 2, 12/27 - 1/2
Tuesday, 12/28: 5 miles (vacation day)
Friday, 12/31: 5 miles, include 2x1600 (holiday)
Sunday, 1/2: 12 miles
As it turns out, today I wound up shoveling snow during the time I would have normally been running.
Soooo, for week 1, I will either run later this afternoon (unlikely), or change to Thursday and Friday running, with the long run remaining on Sunday. Honestly, I really could have ran this morning and shoveled during my lunchtime, but I elected to sleep in instead.
Was it worth it?
Absolutely not. :/
Maybe I'll remember that the next time I hit the snooze button...
I purposely scheduled no running yesterday. The way I had it planned, I would have 0 runs on days I have to be in the office for the first 2 weeks of my plan. This way, I can be miserable in peace while I try to get back some level of fitness.
Week 1, 12/20-12/26
Tuesday, 12/21: 6 miles (work from home)
Thursday, 12/23: 5 miles, include 3 miles tempo run (vacation day)
Sunday, 12/26: 10 miles
Week 2, 12/27 - 1/2
Tuesday, 12/28: 5 miles (vacation day)
Friday, 12/31: 5 miles, include 2x1600 (holiday)
Sunday, 1/2: 12 miles
As it turns out, today I wound up shoveling snow during the time I would have normally been running.
Soooo, for week 1, I will either run later this afternoon (unlikely), or change to Thursday and Friday running, with the long run remaining on Sunday. Honestly, I really could have ran this morning and shoveled during my lunchtime, but I elected to sleep in instead.
Was it worth it?
Absolutely not. :/
Maybe I'll remember that the next time I hit the snooze button...
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
T Minus 6 Days
Until Marathon training starts! So, I haven't really been running lately, but I will be running at least one marathon in the Spring. And, I will be posting my weekly goals and results here on a regular basis as well.
I'm already looking at the plan that I printed out last week and deciding what changes I will make so that it will fit my schedule. I am lucky enough to have the opportunity to work from home a day or two every week (when I'm not traveling). I will be planning my longer mid-week runs on work from home days when I don't have to worry about getting dressed for work afterwards. :)
Also, my long run for the first week falls on Christmas. One thing I learned from Thanksgiving, I won't do my long run on a holiday when I'm staying at my parents' house.
I will be posting my Week One plan on Sunday. Let's see if I can go from Couch to Marathon in 16 weeks. (I know I can, let's hope I can do it gracefully)
I'm already looking at the plan that I printed out last week and deciding what changes I will make so that it will fit my schedule. I am lucky enough to have the opportunity to work from home a day or two every week (when I'm not traveling). I will be planning my longer mid-week runs on work from home days when I don't have to worry about getting dressed for work afterwards. :)
Also, my long run for the first week falls on Christmas. One thing I learned from Thanksgiving, I won't do my long run on a holiday when I'm staying at my parents' house.
I will be posting my Week One plan on Sunday. Let's see if I can go from Couch to Marathon in 16 weeks. (I know I can, let's hope I can do it gracefully)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)